Murphy's Law - UNEDITED
by Plouton
Summary: These are the old, no longer canon, chapters from Murphy's Law.


Murphy's Law

"RUN!" The dark hair girl in front of me urges, pulling me along behind her. I stumble, my short 4-year-old legs failing to keep up with the older girl. I trip again over a pile of rubble and slip on a puddle of ominously red colored liquid.

"Shit, Hancock! I'll take her!" The larger sister reaches down and flings me onto her back. "Hold tight, ok!"

"We need to keep moving!" Hancock shouts, ducking under a burning archway and leading our charge. The arch collapses the moment we clear it. "Sandersonia, can you carry her the whole way?!" She asks in concern. Sandersonia simple nods, her breath coming in short gasps. She shares a glance with her second sister, nodding again.

"Left! Left here!" I call from my position. We sprint through the main hallway, pushing and shoving our way through the crowed of slaves, all surging towards the exit.

"THE GUARDS ARE HERE!" A slave screams from the back of the hallway, just before he is brutally hacked in two, ripped from shoulder to waist.

"Go! Go! Go!" I chant urging the three girls on. I stare in abject horror as the armored Tenryuubito's guards cut through the slave population indiscriminately. Blood flies everywhere, making the walls look like a Jackson Pollok splatter painting. I gagged in disgust.

"Sandersonia! Mariegold! Stay close to me!" Hancock shouts, as we burst through the last pair of gates. We sprint away from the burning palace, skidding in the mud, and I clutch tighter to Sandersonia. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him. Our savior. The man who burnt Mariejois to the ground.

Despite the horrors surrounding me, I can't help but grin. "TIGER FISHER!" I shout, trying to catch his attention. "THANK YOU!" He turns slightly and our gazes meet. My grin grows wider, and then my eyes are torn away as Sandersonia follows Hancock and Mariegold around a corner and out of sight.

I hold my knees tightly to my chest, hunkering down against a brick wall, behind a stack of barrels and trash. Sonia is digging through the dumpster, trying to find some scraps of food. Hancock and Marie are readjusting their clothes and bandages to ensure the slave brands on their backs were hidden. I shudder slightly at the memory of receiving my own brand.

When I was originally reincarnated, I though I would be condemned to a life of slavery. I was branded the moment I was born, the hot metal _melted_ my skin, permanently searing the mark into my back. I remembered the moment very vividly. The smell of burning flesh. The feeling of blistering, searing, pain _._ My _scream_.

 **My mother was there. She's gone now, but she was there; I remember her laughing. My handler always told me that my mother hated me, after all, I was the reason she died. My mother was a proud Kuja warrior and pirate, bred with a man with the Will of D to produce the ideal soldier. I was bred like livestock to serve my life as a Tenryuubito security guard, and my mother hated me for it. She hated that she gave birth to a human like me, and as a result died. She lived just long enough to laugh at my branding, force a blended devil fruit down my throat, and name me. Taipan D. Aconite. God, I hate my name almost as much as my mother hated me. What the fuck kind of parent names their kid Aconite? Though it didn't really matter, my … masters didn't use my name anyway.**

I never thought I would be able to escape, especially without knowing when in the timeline I was born. It wasn't until I was almost two that I met the Boa sisters. The were working as "entertainment" slaves, and Hancock had proven to be a particularly skilled dancer. I met her after one of her performances. She had been gifted the opportunity to eat at the foot of one of the nobles' chairs as a prize for dancing so well. We ate together and I helped her sneak some food past the soldier so that she could feed her sisters, who were currently being starved for the amusement of our… masters.

I was in training to become a member of the Tenryuubito's personal security, so I was always present when Hancock or her sisters were "invited" to entertain. The things the Tenryuubito would make them do was disgusting and inhumane, and in comparison, the Tenryuubito treated me decently… for the most part. I assume it is harder to brainwash children into throwing their lives away for the Tenryuubito when the children hate them. If I acted out, I would be punished. I would be sent to solidary confinement for weeks, I would be starved, I would be beaten, I would even be tortured, but I was never raped. The truly horrible part of my training had only just begun when we escaped. My trainers had only just begun to get me accustomed to using my devil fruit, and when I failed to follow orders I would be drowned.

Drowned over and over and over again. Fortunately, this treatment only started when I was two. I only had to deal with this for two years, unlike Hancock, Sonia, and Marie who suffered through four years of slavery. Like I said, lucky. I'll walk away from this phobic and traumatized and hope that children are as resilient as people say. I mean. Yeah, I have a few psychological scars. But I'm ok. I'm _alive_.

"Hey, Hey." Hancock whispers to me, snapping me back to attention. "We need to move, before the Marines find us." I nod. "Is your mark covered?"

I twist slightly, glancing over my shoulder. "Yeah. It's good. Let's go."

I follow the three girls as we sneak through the alleys, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. I grind my teeth together in frustration. How did the Boa sisters get off Saboady originally? Shit. I wish I paid more attention to Hancocks' backstory. Truth be told. When I read One Piece, I didn't like the woman. She was conceited and arrogant. I couldn't sympathize with her at all. But now, as I am forced to dig through garbage to feed myself, as I'm forced to hide from the justice system that is supposed to protect me, I can relate. Now I wish I had paid more attention. We need help if we want to survive, let alone make it to Amazon Lily.

Suddenly, I stop walking, my eyes trained on the giant mangrove. The number 14 was painted in a bold font and I just had an idea. "Hancock! Follow me!" I spin in a circle, quickly spotting my destination, Grove 13. "Come on, come on!" I take off, dodging around pirates and bounty hunters alike as I run down the street.

"Wait! Sis! Slow down!" Marie calls, chasing after me. Even though we aren't biological sisters, Hancock, Sonia, and Marie treated me as if I were. There are more my family than my parents ever were or will be.

"Yeah, Blue. Where are we going!" Sonia adds, and I smile at the nickname. It was much preferred over Aconite.

"Just follow!" I shout back, running over the bridge and onto another grove. Stopping briefly, I look around, scanning the giant roots for our destination. There! The green building camouflaged slightly by the green trunk of the Yarukiman Mangrove. "Let's go!" I sprint ahead of my sisters.

"Blue! Look out!" Hancock warns, I turn to look at her curiously, and charge right into something. I stumble backwards, falling on my butt.

"Oww." I groan rubbing my head. I glance up at the wall I ran into. Except it wasn't a wall.

"Eeh?" The pirate towers over me, sneering "What have we here?"

"S-s-sorry m-mister!" I squeak out, starting to shuffle away.

"Oh? Here that boys? The runt said sorry. Isn't that cute?" He laughs. His crew follows suit, laughing uproariously as they move to encircle us.

I swallow nervously, lurching to my feet and backing towards my sisters. "I didn't mean to. Really. It was an accident. I'm sorry!" I try again, glancing nervously at the five pirates. I'm only four! Four years old, with a devil fruit I can't use properly, and three equally terrified sisters behind me. We are screwed.

Without warning, the pirate lunges forwards. He grabs me by the throat and lifts me into the air. "Look here, you little bitch. Your apology doesn't mean shit to me. But, if the brothel you whores crawled out of give me and my boys a night on the house, well, I'll see what I can do about letting you leave alive." He grins wider, flashing his yellowing teeth. His bad breath blows in my face, and I scrunch up my nose in disgust.

"L-let go of me!" I rasp. "We aren't whores." My fingers pull desperately at his hand. Out of the corner of my eye I spot my sisters thrashing in the grips of the other pirates.

The captain pulls me closer until his face was mere inches from mine. "Good." His voice rumbled threateningly, "That makes things even easier."

"Let her go you monster!" Hancock shouts from behind me. "She's only four! She said sorry!" The pirate glares at her over my shoulder, silencing her. I increase my struggling. This sick fuck wanted to rape and kill me! God damn it! I just want to be free! And this psycho wanted to take that away, before I even had the chance to live my life!

I glance around desperately. Surely this is the time someone should come to my rescue? Isn't that how these shonen manga are supposed to work? But no one is coming. In fact, the street is completely deserted. No one is coming and I am scared. So, so scared. I can't hurt this man! He's massive and armed, and I am small and weak. I can't save my sisters. Damn it! I just want to live! I want them to live!

I don't realize that I am crying until the monster in front of me licks my salty cheeks. I cringe in disgust, my eyes widening. "Don't worry pretty girl. I'll treat you nice and good." He leers, and I snap. Why the fuck should I not be the one walking away from this? I have just as much of a right to life as this animal, damn it! And if I'm going down then damn straight I'm going down kicking and screaming. With a growl I drive my fingers into the mans right eye, and I _pull_. There is a squelch from the sclera popping and squirting fluid everywhere. A tearing noise follows as the muscles and optic nerve shred. His eye falls out and into my hand. I scream.

He drops me, clutching at his face, roaring in pain. I scramble backwards until my back collides with the brick corner of the ally and vomit. The vitreous gel of his eye coats my hands despite my desperate attempts to wipe it off. I choke on a sob. Oh my god. I have an eye in my hand. A human eye.

"You little bitch! Look at what you've done!" The pirate roars into the air. In the back of my mind I chuckle, he said 'look'. I feel detached. Like I am floating. Some part of me registers that the human eye is significantly smaller than the cow eye I dissected in my anatomy class, and it's much juicer than the formaldehyde preserved organ too. If I wasn't so disgusted by my actions, I might have thought that the eye was cool.

Hancock is thrashing in the arms of two pirates, and manages to score a lucky hit. She gets free long enough to turn and activate her Mero Mero powers and turns her captors to stone. Sonia and Marie also appear to be having some sort of success. Sonia is crushing the life out of a man, coiling around him in her full zoan form, despite his flailing. His attempts to escape get weaker and weaker as he asphyxiates. Marie seems to have some trouble activating her own devil fruit, and is instead beating a man with a broken bottle. Her victim is not getting up and blood is soaking her clothing and staining her orange hair red.

Suddenly, the captain is in front of me. "I have you now, pretty girl. I'm going to flay you. I'm going to peel the skin from your pretty little body, piece by bloody piece until you scream for me to kill you. It will be a beautiful sight!" He cackles madly and I flinch back, pressing myself harder against the wall. "Are you scared, pretty girl? You should be. I'm going to tear out your organs!" My eyes widen, and me breath is coming in fast shallow gasps. Oh god, oh god, ohgodohgod _ohgod_. He's going to kill me. He's going to really really kill me!

He reaches a hand out to grab me again and I react. The invisible limbs of my Beku Beku fruit lash out to defend me. The attack wasn't graceful or controlled. Instead of slicing neatly through his flesh, the limbs hack and flail, shredding him. Deep gashes appear in his flesh, and his limbs remain attached by only the thinest stings of sinew. I can _feel_ the limbs carve through his muscles and bones. His organs are burying me and his head slides from his body. The resulting rush of blood from the severed aorta makes me feel like I'm drowning. I'm coughing and gagging and crying, and the coppery taste of blood is still in my mouth!

I'm distraught. Oh my god I killed someone. I killed a person. A living person. Holy shit. He's dead. H-he's just… dead. He's dead and I killed him. I _killed_ him. W-what do I do now?

Suddenly I'm back on Mariejois. The blood covering me is that of a slave I lashed out at. I was praised by my masters. " _Yes, just like that. Do it again._ " I had been placed in a gladiator ring and wasn't allowed to leave until I'd slaughtered every single slave. There was so much blood. It pooled thickly on the floor and my toes made an uncomfortable sucking sound when I stepped. My white smock wasn't white anymore, and the invisible limbs of my devil fruit could be clearly seen now that they were painted red.

I'm hyperventilating and my hands are shaking. I can't breathe. I-I-I can't _breathe._ I am panicking and there is ice in my veins and my heart is pounding so hard I'm scared it might stop.

It's several minutes, or maybe it's hours, I can't tell, before I realize someone is talking to me. "It… k….be ok…. Ju…..reathe…..that's….good girl… That's it… breaths." I focus on the voices, and slowly open my eyes. I don't remember closing them. A blonde man is crouching in front of me. His lips are moving but his words sound like they are being spoken underwater. "That's it. There you go. Focus on me. Deep breaths." The man is familiar.

"Wh-wh-who are…" My voice rasps and my throat constricts, cutting me off.

"Shhh. Shhh. Don't try to talk. Just breathe big deep breaths. I'm a friend. I'll help you." The man sooths.

"What about…"

The man interrupts, "Your friends are fine. My wife, Shakky, is helping them. Can I touch you?" I manage a short nod and the man smiles kindly at me. He carefully reach's forwards and picks me up, cradling me against his chest. "My wife and I own a bar near here, I'm going to take you there so we can patch you up." I nod again, focusing on keeping my breathing as steady as possible.

Holy fuck, thank the lord. Silvers Reyleigh found us.

 **Authors Note:**

 **And that's a wrap! Do you know how excited I am about this story?! SO EXCITED!**

 **I honestly love SI OC stories, but it recently came to my attention that One Piece does not have many SI OC stories beyond the "OC falls into the world of One Piece" (at least not in comparison to something like Naruto). I decided to try my hand at rectifying this, so here we are. One Piece is my current obsession, and I do love writing, even if I never post anything (maybe I should consider posting some of my one shots? hmmm.) so I decided to write this and see where it takes me.**

 **Now the reason I chose to write the story with a child born into the OP world as opposed to falling into it is that there is no possible realistic way for a person from our world to survive in the OP world. We have the wrong mindset (at least most of us do). Plain and simple. Yes we deal with corruption and discrimination and a butt load of other things, but One Piece is a combat driven world. Either you are strong enough to fight and protect yourself and others, or you** _ **die.**_ **There is really no way for some random high school/college level person to survive while also traveling with their OP crushes. They would die, probably rather brutally too. So being born into this world allows a character to be young enough to have all of their old morals and world views murdered and reconstructed. And maybe, if they get just a little bit lucky, they might survive. That is what I am trying to do.**

 **On a slightly different note, I have never written a deconstruction fix before, so I am very open to suggestions and criticisms. If I do something poorly, let me know so that I can improve my writing and the story. I have also never written anything that is as gritty as I intend to make this story. This is new territory for me, and I might not succeed right away. I am** _ **trying,**_ **that means that mistakes will happen, be ready for them, and if you feel up to it, point them out to me. My PM box is always open if you want to say something that can't fit comfortably in the review box. Thanks!**

 **That's all for this note!**

 **Over and out,**

 **Plouton**

I lean over the railing of the pirate ship, one hand griping tightly to the wood and the other waving at Shakky and Reyleigh as we pull away from the archipelago. "Thank you!" I grin widely, "I'll see you again someday!" The pair wave back.

"I have no doubts." Reyleigh calls back, laughing at my enthusiasm.

"Stop waving at the man, he's not that great." Hancock mutters from where she stands next to me.

"Oh, don't be mean, Hancock, he did help us go home." Sonia beams.

Mari wraps an arm around her sisters. "I can't believe it! We are finally going to see everyone again!" Hancock sighs in exasperation but leans into the hug anyway, pulling me in with her.

"You're going to love it, Blue. Amazon Lily is beautiful! The jungles are really green and there are a lot of cool animals." Mari smiles down at me. "And there are no men!" She teases Hancock, who rolls her eyes.

"It's wonderful!" Hancock agrees, breaking away from the hug to pick me up and swing me around. "Oh, and you can start your training, and we can all be sailors together and we will be respected by everyone!" She places me down and I totter dizzily. "No one will ever have to order us around ever again. Ok?"

"I'm glad to see you four making plans for your future already." Gloriosa comments from behind us.

"Oh. It's the old hag." Hancocks previously cheerful attitude dissipates and she becomes expressionless. "What do you want." I shake my head in exasperation at Hancocks' behavior. Gloriosa really isn't that old, and she's certainly not a hag, or at least she isn't a hag yet. The woman is clearly on the decline, with wrinkled skin and graying hair, but she still exudes power with ever movement. It's easy to see how this woman was once the Kuja Empress.

Gloriosa drags a hand through her still mostly blonde hair, and leans casually against her snake staff, making her appear to be just a bit shorter than the future shichibukai. "Must you be so rude to your savior?" She complains, glaring at Hancock. "I didn't need to bring you brats back."

"Yeah? Well— " Hancock is interrupted by Mari, who cover her mouth.

"What she means to say is 'thank you for your kindness'." Sonia soothes the former empress.

Gloriosa huffs immaturely before waving off the thanks. "I was just going to say that you should come and say hi to the crew." The woman suggests. "I'm sure the the women would love to meet the cute daughter of our dearest Canna."

"Canna?" I ask, confused.

"Your mother." A new voice chimes in. "Taipan Canna of the noble house of Taipan, one of our strongest and most gifted women." The approaching woman is tall, nearly eight feet, and built like a brick wall. She is muscular and dark skinned, with beautiful curls and a bright orange snake wrapped comfortable around her shoulders. "I never would have though that such a sensible woman would ever get involved with a _man_. I suppose her death is apology enough, no use badmouthing the dead." Her dark eyes meet mine, assessing me. I grit my teeth slightly at the insult.

"Astor! Perfect timing. Why don't you tell the little one about her history?" Gloriosa asks, "Come along you three, come say hi to the reset of the crew." She drags Hancock – Mari and Sonia follow willingly – away with her.

I continue to stare up at the tall warrior, and catch myself cataloging all of the possible escape routes, a habit I had picked up following my run in with the pirates on Saboady, a habit I didn't realize I had until Reyleigh pointed it out. The woman, Astor, ruffles my hair and sits down in front of me. "You look a bit like her. Same beautiful ebony hair, your eyes are definitely your fathers though. I don't know a single Kuja with gold eyes. You're going to be quite the looker when you're older." She laughs loudly, and I relax slightly, also taking a seat. "I'm Astor, it's a pleasure to meet you, you little cutie. What do you know of your mother?"

I shrug. I know that she hated me and she blamed me for her death. My handlers told me as much. But Astor couldn't know I was an ex-slave. Gloriosa and my sisters made sure I understood that, so instead of responding with my knowledge I say: "I don't know anything. Could you tell me?" and widen my eyes as much as possible. I think that's how you make puppy dog eyes, but I'm really not sure.

Astor laughs again. "Of course I can! Where do I even begin?" She asks herself, before diving into her story. "Your mother was one of the most beloved women in our tribe. She was powerful, beautiful, and talented. She truly lived up to her name and was renowned throughout the country. She was one of the few warriors gifted in the three ways of Haki, befitting of her family, and she became a capable martial artist. Do you know what Haki is?" Astor asks. I shake my head, even though I am perfectly aware of what Haki is. "You'll learn more about it at the Academy later, what you need to know for now is that Haki is a centerpiece for our culture and only the best of the best can use it."

I almost roll my eyes at the poor explanation, even Luffy could probably do better. Wait. No. He'd just say it was a mystery power or something like that.

"Usually people can only use one or two types of Haki, but some people are capable of using the third type. We think it's a slightly hereditary trait, so maybe you can use it too!" Astor exclaims.

I can't hold in my giggle of amusement. "But don't you have to be really special to use it?" I ask, before realizing I had just said I didn't know what Haki was.

"I'm sure you are plenty special." Astor responds, not noticing my slight slip of knowledge. "Many women of the Taipan family were quite gifted with Haki."

Her words cause my train of thought to grind to a halt. Hold up. Did she just say "family? I have a family?"

"Well of course you do silly! Canna had a mother of course. She also had a sister who has a daughter. So you have a grandmother, aunt, and a cousin! What, you didn't think you were all alone did you?" Astor laughs at my reddening face.

"Maybe…" I can't believe I never wondered if I had family! What are they like? Are they nice? Are they strong? Shit. I didn't plan to deal with a family. They were going to realize I didn't act like a four-year-old. Or that I wasn't as strong as a normal Kuja, how could I be, I was just a normal person after all. This was going to mess up my plan. Wait. I didn't make a plan at all. Shit that's even worse! Shouldn't that have been one of the first things I thought of? Like. Oh, I don't know. A plan on how TO STAY ALIVE? No? What was I even going to do in this world? Should I get involved with canon? Should I avoid the fuck out of everything? As a highly educated adult woman, I feel like I should have figured this shit out already. What was I even going to do with my second chance at life? Well, other than destroy the Tenryuubito for what they did to me and my sisters. How am I even going to do that? Shiiiiiiiiit.

Clearly not sensing my internal conflict, Astor continues speaking, and is now telling me about the time my mother held the title of gladiatorial champion for " _seven whole months_ " and how she " _defeated an entire pirate armada by herself_ ". I mean, hello! I'm having a slight existential crisis over here _,_ a little concern for the panicking four-year-old would be nice. Is it appropriate for a four-year-old to cry? How do four-year-olds normally act? I can't fake my age if I don't have a standard! Anyway, can toddlers cry, because that's what I feel like doing. " _Oh and one time, Canna ate an entire boar!_ " I sniff, trying to hold back my tears. How the fuck was I possibly going to be able to compete with the people of this universe?! " _She faced down a Shichibukai._ " I'm just a small, weak, normal person, from a normal universe where people aren't super powered! Jesus Christ, at this rate I'll be dead before I'm 10! How the fuck did I survive this long?!

Astor's hands are suddenly on my face. "Oh, oh, I'm so sorry! I understand. Hearing all of these things about your mother must be really upsetting." She pulls me into her lap, hugging me. I feel horribly small and fragile. "There, there, small child. It will be ok." She starts slightly. "Oh. I never asked your name! I'm sorry! I just got so caught up in talking about Canna." I sniffle again.

"It's ok." I mumble, rubbing my eyes. Sure, let her believe I'm upset because of my mother.

"Anyway. What is your name, little girl?" She asks.

"Taipan D. Aconite." I start. "The 'D' is from my dad appar—"

Astor interrupts. "What did you say?" Her voice was oddly quiet, barely above a whisper.

"The 'D' initial is from my dad. I don't know—"

"No. What is your name." It isn't a question.

"Uh. Taipan D. Aconite?" I respond curiously. "My sisters just call be Blue though. You can too."

"Aconite…" Astor trails off, and shoves me off her lap in order to stare at me. A beat passes without a sound and she continues to stare. I squirm uncomfortable and feel my muscles tense, but the cold, analytical look in Astors' eyes prevent me from saying anything. Finally, she sighs. It's a frustrated, conflicted noise, but somehow it makes me relax slightly. "Look, little girl, I'm not one of those super superstitious, religious types, you know. Unfortunately for you, your mother was, along with most of the tribe. But I'm not." The large woman leans back slightly and watches a cloud drift lazily through the sky. Her face is serious and her words are quiet and firm. "Keep your name to yourself. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here since you're only a kid, but others won't be so lenient." She glares coolly at me and I can feel myself shrink against the boat railing, suddenly reminded that this woman could kill me in a heartbeat. With those words, she stands and walks away almost as if we hadn't spoken at all, leaving me shaking and terrified, huddling in the shadow of the railing.

Wha- what the fuck? Did I do something wrong? Did I say something rude? What if the customs and social rules of this society are different? Hancock and the others are familiar with them, but I'm not. I swear quietly to myself and my head thunks against the wooden railing. What am I even doing? At this rate, I really am going to die! I clutch at my hair, trying to force myself to calm down. No. No. I am not going to die. I am going to survive and live my life. I just need a plan! I just –

"Oh, little one, where did Astor go?" Gloriosa asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"She, uh, said she needed to be somewhere." I lie, standing up and pretending nothing happened.

"I see. She probably has some ship duty to attend to now that we are approaching the port." Gloriosa explains. "Why don't you come up front with your sisters?" I nod, accepting her proffered hand and pushing my plans to the back of my mind. I can deal with that crap later, because right now I wanted to see Amazon Lily.

Holy shit. Let me tell you, Oda's drawings of Amazon Lily do not do it justice at all. The island is absolutely gorgeous. It has bright flowers blooming in every color, tall, strong trees thickly intertwined by ivy and vines, and the gently flowing river is pristine and clear. The city itself is just as breathtaking. The stone buttresses and snake statues that arch over the city cast odd shadows over the citizens and brightly colored lamps and streamers hang delicately between red roofed buildings. The city is alive with the sound of busy women of all shapes and sizes. I try to avoid looking at all the scantily clad women, I'm not sure if I could ever get used to the different standard of modesty here.

I turn my head, just managing to catch a glimpse of an artfully tattooed woman dance and twirl through the street, advertising for a musical that evening. Another woman beckons to me from the entrance of a farmer's market, boasting about the quality of her leeks. I turn again, my attention caught by the mouth watering smell of a noodle bar. Two children around my age come barreling towards our group, weaving between the pirates' legs, their bamboo swords colliding clumsily, and giggling hysterically, before dodging around me and continuing down the street. The sights and sounds of such a lively city are overwhelming to say the least. The contrast between my previous… _situation…_ on Mariejois and my brief interaction with the lawless zone of Saboady did not properly prepare me for the hustle and bustle of Amazon Lily.

"It's impressive isn't it?" Hancock asks, smiling at my enthusiastic expression. I'm smiling so widely that me cheeks are actually starting to hurt.

"I don't think I've seen you this excited ever." Sonia comments. "You are usually so serious and cynical. It's a nice change."

"Yeah. It's good to see you finally acting your age!" Mari adds. Suddenly she grabs me and swings me up onto her shoulders. I laugh at the unexpected action and continue to admire the beautiful city from my new vantage point.

"Blue, see that building straight ahead of us?" Hancock points at the towering structure built against the side of the cliff. I scrutinize the white walls and red roofs. "That's is the palace of the Kuja empress. That's where we are going." My eyes wander over the structure, and I internally marvel at the architecture. "When we get inside, just let us do the talking ok? We figured out a cover story. Remember: no one can know that we were..." She trails of and I nod in understanding. She beams at me. "That's a good girl."

The ornate red and gold doors of the palace are pushed open by a pair of Kuja warriors and we are ushered into the atrium. The white marble and gold accents of the floors and walls seem to almost glow in the afternoon light. The Kuja Empress sat elegantly in her throne behind a red silk sheet. Several of the pirates who accompanied us to the palace move to stand silently to the right of the throne. On the left stand another group of women, supposedly handmaidens or security. We halt several meters from the throne and Marigold removes me from her shoulders.

"Empress Camellia." Gloriosa greets, not bothering to bow. "I have returned."

"So I see." The woman's silhouette ripples along the silk sheet. "For what reason do these children accompany you?"

"They are the Boa sisters. They were apprenticed under your crew." Gloriosa gestures to the older girls. "The other child is the eldest and only daughter of the late Taipan Canna."

"I did not ask who they are. I asked why they are here." Her voice is rough, as though she is a heavy smoker.

"I am returning them to their home country." Gloriosa explains. Hancock stiffens beside me, sensing then rising tension. The three girls stand like soldiers. Their backs are straight and their heads are held high. I don't copy them. Standing like that looks too uncomfortable.

"They have left the country and the protection of my crew on their own power. They have interacted with people from beyond our borders, and worse, they have interacted with men. The countries rules are unforgiving. They may not return." The empresses voice is monotone as if she is bored by our presence, but her words are firm. I felt Sonia flinch slightly at the accusations.

Gloriosa steps forward to plead our case, but the silhouette raises a single hand in a 'stop' motion, halting her. "Do not speak. You yourself have no right to appear in front of this imperial court." My eyes flicker to the women on the right of the room before returning to the empress. "You left our country of your own violation to pursue a _man_ , and now you have returned, expecting to be welcomed back with open arms? I should kill you for your impudence."

"I left for medical reasons. You are well aware of that." Gloriosa refutes.

"Do not speak." The empress repeats, "I have not finished. If you had returned on your own and begged pardon, we might have allowed your return. Instead you return with three apprentices who abandoned our crew to consort with outsiders. Further more you have brought an outsider into our country and into the palace. These are all actions of a traitor and are due to receive capital punishment in gladiatorial combat!" Her previous calm voice gives way. "Former Empress Gloriosa, we will not be lenient!"

Silence follows this declaration. Actually a lot of silence follows. I tug on a strand of my hair impatiently, but the silence continues to drag on. Two minutes pass, then three. I rock my weight from one foot to the other. It's a little bit ridiculous. "Are we allowed to plead our case or something?" I finally ask, frustrated. Whispers burst from the warriors.

"Your case? _Your_ case _?_ You have no _case,_ outsider." The empress responded. "You have violated the laws of our country and will be punished accordingly." Her commanding tone would have been off-putting for many others, however, I don't take well to orders.

"Look here lady! It took Hancock, Mari, and Sonia four YEARS to get home. They had to deal with struggles that you probably can't even imagine. The least you could do is listen and understand what happened!" I stomp my foot in irritation, fuming. I'm acting childish, but this is ridiculous. I glare at the silhouette.

She was silent for a moment before answering. "Very well. State your case. But don't expect me to change my mind." I shrug. That's close enough. Hancock, Mari, and Sonia obviously figured out in the manga, so I trust them to figure it out now.

Hancock starts. "We were dragged off the ship by a feared and mysterious monster, a gorgon. Canna tried to save us, but she too was taken by the beast. It dragged our unconscious bodies to its lair on an unknown island. When we woke we realized we had been taken and all fought for our lives against the monster…" She explains that after "slaying" the monster, they were cursed. Apparently the Kuja actually know very little about the devil fruits, so Hancock passed our powers off as a result of the curse. On they journey back to Amazon Lily, my heavily pregnant and cursed mother died in childbirth and passed the Gorgon curse on to me. Then we made it to Saboady where we met Gloriosa who helped us return to Amazon Lily.

Let me be honest, this story has more holes in it that Swiss cheese. Really hole-y Swiss cheese. We are totally going to be executed.

"A gorgon?" The empress asks.

"Yes."

"A real gorgon."

"Yes."

"And you killed it."

"Yes." Wait… Is she actually buying this?

"Allium, please remove my screen." The empress requested. One of her handmaidens on her left stands to remove the red silk, revealing the empress. She is an old woman, thin and frail looking. Her rasping voice suddenly makes sense to me. She has gray hair, wrinkled and scared skin, and long spindly fingers. "Boa girl. A gorgon has not been seen in many, many years. They are ruthless and vicious creatures. You and your sister are very lucky women. Your survival speaks highly of your skill." The empress seems much wearier now that the sheet has been removed. She turns her attention to Gloriosa. "Former Empress Gloriosa. You were my heir, and when you left I was forced to reassume the throne until another Kuja warrior proved themselves suitable. You have spent more time with the Boas than I. Tell me of their potential."

Gloriosas' eyes flicker from the empress to Hancock, clearly surprised by the empresses' response. "Empress Camellia, I have spent many years observing many apprentices, and never have I met a trio with such potential. Their skills have, admittedly, flagged since they were last training with Kuja warriors, but I believe they are suitable." Gloriosas' previously relaxed tone is now formal.

"Very well." The empress looks thoughtful. "I have decided. I will revise your punishment." A hopeful look flashes across my face briefly. Were we actually going to pull this off? "Boa sisters, you will be subject to gladiatorial combat. If you die, we will know you lied. If you defeat your opponent, your crimes will be forgiven and you will be re-apprenticed, I will also pardon Former Empress Gloriosa and accept the outsider child of Taipan Canna into our tribe." My jaw goes slack and Sonia and Mari tense. Hancock's face remains impassive though. "You have an hour. Prepare yourselves."

 **A/N**

 **Ok so this is kind of a boring chapter. It was boring to write too, but it was important because it introduces a whole bunch of things that will be relevant in the rest of the Kuja arc. World building is hard! Yes, this story is going to have many many OCs. We don't actually have very many Kuja characters, and almost none are well developed. So I'm making a bunch up. Astor is going to crop up again of one. Hmm. I think that might be all I say for now. Trust me, a lot of the stuff in this chapter will be relevant later.**

 **I'll try to post some sketches of little Aconite (Blue) in between now and the next chapter too, so keep an eye out for that.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed and special thanks to** **KlonoaDreams** **, who was basically my motivation for this chapter.**

 **I think that all for now.**

 **Over and out,**

 **Plouton**

I fidget slightly against the uncomfortably warm bleachers overlooking the coliseum. Gloriosa and I had been lead out here by the Kuja warriors, promptly chained to the bleachers and left in the sun to wait for out fate to be decided. The Boa sisters had been escorted to the Preparation Chambers, were they would wait until the gladiatorial trial will start. I suppose being in one of those cool rooms would be much nicer than sitting here, roasting in the sun for an hour. I was going to be red as a lobster by the time I get out of here.

The stone benches are uncomfortable, and the sweltering heat is only made worse by the stifling humidity that accompanies it, and is making me very irritable. I scowl, swatting another mosquito away from my face, accidentally causing the handcuffs to pinch my skin painfully. I shift again, allowing my legs to unstick from my seat. Not that it helped, because they stuck right back to the stone the moment I put them back down. I cross my arms in frustration, ignoring the chains that dig into my muscles, and the bruises which will certainly follow this action. My scowl deepens. Spending several years in the fridge barracks of fog covered Mariejois did not prepare me for the brutal sun and heat of Amazon Lily. Warriors had been trickling in through the gates for the past few minutes, laughing and joking, excited by the prospects of the upcoming 'show'.

"You get used to it." Gloriosa explains "The heat, I mean." My eyes flicker to her before refocusing on the slowly filling benches. "Are you worried?" The old woman asks.

"No." Gloriosa frowns at my sarcastic tone.

"What happened? You were cuter on the boat ride." She comments rudely. "Now you're just a tiny sour toddler." She pinches my cheek, turning my face towards her.

I contemplate telling her the truth, but discard the though almost immediately. What was I supposed to say? My second life sucks a lot, and I really just want to go and live my life without everyone trying to kill me? Yeah, that would blow over super well. Instead I change the topic back to the Boa sisters, and say: "I should be down there with them."

Gloriosa snorts in amusement. "You would get in the way. Hancock, Sonia, and Mari are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves."

"But they don't have any combat experience." I explain my reasoning.

"Of course they do. They were apprentices of the Kuja pirates. The most talented apprentices since your mother." The woman rolls her eyes at my ignorance.

"They've never experienced gladiatorial combat." I try again and my irritation seeps into my words.

"And you have?" Gloriosa retorts incredulously.

"Yes!" I exclaim.

"Against what. Giant monsters? Highly trained warriors? Blue, you're four! You are untrained, incapable, naïve, and _weak_. Sit down and let your big sisters handle it. They are perfectly capable of winning. I have no doubts." She yells, silencing any further arguments from me.

I clench my jaw furiously. My mild irritation at the disgusting weather flares into true anger. Not at Gloriosa. She is correct. I am untrained in comparison to Mari or Sonia, let alone Hancock (whom I've seen break solid stone with a punch). Executing starving, half dead slaves for the amusement of the Tenryuubito was one thing. This is entirely different and I probably would hinder Hancock and the others. This wasn't the Saboady where we were exhausted and half starved. My sisters are rested, feed, and armed. They are strong. I'm not. My anger turns to desperation. How the hell could I possibly hope to survive in this world if I'm weak. I don't even want to change anything! I just want to survive! I blink rapidly, holding off the tears that are threatening to fall.

Gloriosa notices my expression and sighs. "Don't worry. They will handle this. And when this is over I'll take you to register at the academy. You are a little young, but I'm sure Camellia can make an exception given your 'curse'. You can begin training then." I sniffle, but her words do pacify me. "Now, pay attention." She gestures towards the arena, where Hancock is leading her sisters into the arena.

The sisters have dressed in the traditional Kuja attire, and I'm not sure I'll ever be comfortable with that much skin being shown. Hancock stands boldly at the point of their formation, staring down the empress, backed by her two larger sisters. Marigold stands at her full height, back straight and feet together, allowing her to easily tower over her two other sisters. Despite being only fifteen, she is already nearly eight feet tall. Sandersonia stands on the left, hissing threateningly at the crowd. Her long tongue (curtesy of her devil fruit powers) flickers through the air, and startles the audience enough to prevent them from jeering.

Empress Camellia the hushed viewers. "Warriors!" She begins. "We gather here today to bear witness to the trial of former apprentices: Boa Hancock, Boa Marigold, and Boa Sandersonia!" Her rough voice carries surprisingly. "Boa Hancock, Boa Marigold, and Boa Sandersonia have violated the laws of our tribe by leaving the boundaries of Amazon Lily. They claim to have fought a gorgon, and now, we will bear witness to the validity of their claim! The council has decided to sentence them to trial by combat!" Her words are greeted by a roar of approval from the crowed. "The terms stand as follows: Should the Boa Sisters lose; they will be punished by execution in gladiatorial combat. All protectorates will also be executed. Should the Boa Sisters win; all crimes will be pardoned and they will be re-initiated as apprentices of the Kuja Pirates. Protectorates will be pardoned and admitted into the tribe."

Hancock interrupts. "We accept these conditions!" She bends over backwards, posing with one hand pointed at the empress and another on her hip. "You are wasting our time. Let's get to the main event!" It's a bluff, I think. A wild display of confidence. The audience loves it, and they scream their cheers and stamp their feet in approval. After all, they are here to watch a blood bath.

"Very well!" Camellia states. "Let the trial commence!" With a flourish she raised her arms, signaling the beginning of the trial. Her words are nearly drowned out by the cheering women in the stands.

A large metal gates creaks open, revealing the monster inside. I feel my jaw slacken in horror, and am suddenly very grateful to not be in in the arena. I would be slaughtered in seconds. The bear is massive, easily the size of the gate while standing on two feet. Its claws are longer than I am tall and its teeth glitter dangerously, promising pain if you are unfortunate enough to be caught between its crushing jaws. It roars, falling back onto all four clawed feet with a ear-splitting crack that resonates in my bones, and fractures the stone tiles beneath its weight.

The girls don't even flinch. Hancock raises a delicate hand to her lips and kisses her fingers. Gracefully, she moves her hand away and in the process blows up a giant pink heart. Gasps of surprise echo through the audience. With her second hand she pinches the back of the heart and draws it back, anchoring her hand against her cheek, in a movement reminiscent of drawing a bow.

The bear charges.

"Slave Arrow." Hancock intones, releasing her hold on the heart. A stream of arrows fly from the heart, and the bear is too large to dodge. The arrows pierce the bears hide and instantly turn patched of it to stone. The beast collapses, its knee and shoulder joints petrified.

Sandersonia and Marigold step forward, glaring down at the animal, and prepare to finish it off. After all, combat isn't over until one side is dead. Then they are changing. Legs become tails and skin becomes scales. The transformation causes another gasp of disbelief to ripple through the onlookers.

Gloriosa chuckles lightly. "Well, they certainly proved that they were cursed by a gorgon."

Mari and Sonia slither over to the downed beast, wrapping themselves around its body, crushing it. A sickening snap of bones accompanies their actions. In my old life, I would have gagged at the sound, but now I am desensitized after crushing so many, too many, bones in the same way. The Tenryuubito ensured that much. The difference between Hancock's strength and my own is obvious and I'm not sure whether I should sigh in relief (because, oh my god, if I was in that arena I would have painted the floors. Mauled by the monstrous bear until I was a stain that couldn't be washed out) or panic at the power gap.

Hancock meets Empress Camellia's gaze before striking her pose again. Her back is bent so far that she is looking backwards and her finger is trained on the empress. "We are the Gorgon Sisters and proud warriors of the Kuja tribe! We will not be defeated!" The crowd dissolves into thunderous applause.

I thrust my hands towards the woman in front of me, waiting expectantly for her to un-cuff them. The metal falls off my small wrists and I rub at the tender skin, returning my attention to the empress. She had honored our agreement and promptly re-apprenticed the Boa sisters to her three strongest commanders. Hancock, Sonia, and Mari had departed almost immediately with their teachers to reacquaint themselves with the city, leaving me with Gloriosa.

"I intend to enroll her today." Gloriosa informs Empress Camellia.

The older lady shakes her head. "She is too young. She should wait another two years and enter with her age group."

"That would be irresponsible. Blue too, has been cursed by the gorgon. She must train to harness her power." Gloriosa argues.

"Is she Haki-born?" Camellia asks.

"I am unsure. But her mother was, and I expect nothing less from Blue. She should be enrolled at the Academy at once."

"She is too young to keep up with the older students."

"If necessary, she can always repeat a year or two. I don't believe she will need it though." Camellia leans back in her throne deep in though. Her eyes meet mine and I stare blandly back at her.

"And what do you think of this, Taipan Iris? She is your granddaughter after all. As her legal guardian, you have the final say." I whip around so fast I almost loose my balance. A woman stands behind me. She is very tan with freckles and sunspots covering her skin. She is dressed in a floor length oriental robe that hides her hands and is decorated with various embroidered snakes and flowers. Her snake familiar is small and slithers through her hair, without pause, causing the dark mass to twist and tumble. She carries a giant, golden bowl in her hands.

"I care not for the child's combat training. My daughter can deal with that. She must be initiated at once, lest the goddesses never accept her." The woman speaks. Her voice is surprisingly deep, and echoes with an odd vibrato.

"What? Initiation?" I ask, confused by the odd lady.

"Hush child. This is not your place to speak." My grandmother looks down the length of her nose at me. I glance at Gloriosa, hoping for an explanation.

"Your grandmother is our spiritual leader. Typically, children are initiated at birth so that the goddesses may watch over and protect them. You are the oldest child to ever be initiated before, and the longer we wait, the less likely the goddesses will accept you. She must read what the goddesses intend for your future."

My grandmother Iris grabs my arm and pulls me to the center of the room. She forces me to kneel, before placing the bowl in front of me. She quickly fills the bowl with water, and I watch on in confusion. "Let me begin."

"Of course, Priestess Iris." Empress Camellia consents.

The woman nods sharply. Before pulling several things from her sleeve. "I add Iris! The flower of the elder, and Indica for the guardian. Canna, the birther has bloomed and withered, and feeds the youth and paints the blood of the child before me. Goddesses! Accept her under you! Carve a future for me to read! Show me the paths she may follow!" Her voice echoes through the chamber. I watch the proceedings silently, refraining from rolling my eyes. I don't believe in gods and goddesses, but it seems that my religious beliefs didn't really matter. How could I believe in a god after my time on Mariejois.

Suddenly, like a marionette with its strings cut, Iris collapses onto her knees. She is shaking, her eyes are wide, and a thin sheen of sweat covers his skin. Her breaths come in rapid pants. She looks almost frenzied, and whirls to address the empress. "Camellia, Camellia! What have you done?! You have allowed this child, this _thing_ onto our island! Into our city! Do you not understand the repercussions your actions might have!" The smooth tenor of Iris's voice gives way to a panicked screech. She twists back to face me again. "You! Deceiver! What is your name!" She demands. I jerk back in shock, but the lady wraps a bony hand around my arm, preventing me from moving.

"Priestess Iris! Restrain yourself!" Gloriosa orders.

"What has gotten into you!" The empress adds.

"Your name!" Iris shakes me. "YOUR NAME!"

"A-Aconite! Taipan D. Aconite!" I yelp, and Iris pulls me toward her, knocking the ornate bowl over and spilling the contents on the marble floor.

"A poison! You have brought a poison into this country!" The elderly woman shoves me to the floor again. "Do you not remember the Hemlock Incident?!" My faced is pushed into the puddle.

"Of course I remember! Now let go of the child! She is not to blame!" Gloriosa shouts.

"She is a _POISON_! Are you calling my daughter incompetent? You don't believe she knows a cursed child when she sees one? Canna was one of the most gifted seers! How _dare_ you doubt her! You _disgrace_!" Mojave shrieks.

"Enough!" Camellia orders. "Iris. Release Aconite." Immediately the hand releases its grip on my arm, and I can feel the blood rush back into the appendage, bringing an uncomfortable feeling of pins and needles with it. I roll away, putting as much distance between myself and the crazy lady as possible. I instinctively feel my devil fruit powers activate in response to the threat and the invisible limbs wave menacingly over my head.

"She's just a child! Hemlock had nothing to do with her and you know it!" Gloriosa yells at the older woman.

"I said: enough!" Empress Camellia repeats her order. "Gloriosa, hold your tongue. Your right to return to this island has been granted, however your right to counsel the empress has been revoked. I fear pity has clouded your judgment. Poisons are unwelcome. You are aware of this. This _outsider_ bears the curse of poison." Camellia regards Gloriosa coolly.

"What?" The word falls from my lips, barely louder than a breath. No one hears me.

"You have already promised to accept this child into the tribe. She was part of your conditions. Will you go back on your word now?" Gloriosa challenges.

Camellia appraises me thoughtfully. "That is true."

"Don't tell me you are considering this!?" Iris wails and glares at me threateningly.

"Quiet, Priestess." Camellia calms. "Child." She turns her attention back to me, and I flinch at the icy look in her eyes. I force myself to stop shaking and stand a little straighter. I refuse to be seen as weak.

"What." I snap, trying to force confidence into my voice.

She looks surprised momentarily, but the looks gone by the time I blink. Trick of the light, I suppose. "You inherited the curse from the gorgon." I nod, even though it wasn't a question.

"Prove it."

I blink, surprised. My mouth twists into a frown at the order. "Fine." Carefully I maneuver the invisible limbs of my Beku Beku fruit to the puddle on the floor, now tinted purple by the canna flowers. I let the liquid drip off the limbs, allowing Camellia to see them. Iris shrieks when one gets too close and attempts to kick it, breaking my concentration and causing the limbs to retract, once again orbiting me. In the process of returning to me, one carves a deep grove into the tile floor, and another slices cleanly through a column.

I stare at the crumbling stone silently and the priestess makes an uncomfortable choking sound and all the blood drains from her face. Sheepishly I rub the back of my head. "Sorry?" I offer. There went my chance of coming of harmless. "I didn't know I could cut through anything thicker than bone. I mean," I try to recover. "I haven't tried, so I didn't know, and this is the first time that's ever happened, I promise." My eyes dart around the room, not quite settling on any one person.

"S-s-see that!" Iris squeaks out. She points one bony finger at me. "S-she's a t-thre—" she chokes on her tongue when I glare at her.

"Priestess. I appreciate your input, but I have already given my word. The Boa sisters fought for this child, and she shall stay." The empress decides.

"D-don't be ridiculous!" Iris argues.

"That's enough. I will not go back on my promise." She returns to her throne, relaxing against the cushioned seat.

My grandmother grinds her teeth together so loudly I can hear them from across the room. "Fine!" She spits. "But my family will not accept her!"

Camellia leans forward slightly. "You would disown Canna's child?"

"She is no child of Canna. My daughter would never produce such a curse." The elderly woman hisses indignantly. "She is the daughter of that monster gorgon! My family will have nothing to do with her, and the city shouldn't either!" With those words the woman grabs her oriental bowl and strides out of the room, fuming and throwing an angry glare at me.

She looked… so… disgusted. As if my very presence offended her. She looked at me the same way the Tenryuubito did. I swallow my bile and sink to the floor. My limbs feel heavy and exhausted now that the tension has drained from the room. What the fuck just _happened_?

 **A/N**

 **Ok. That's all I'm writing in this chapter. I know, I know, its shorter than my other chapters so far. Sorry about that. Next chapter will be interesting too, so hopefully I'll be motivated to update sooner. Reviews are a fantastic way to motivate me by the way, hint hint, wink wink. Sorry for such a late (or should I say early?) update. I'm up at all sorts of odd hours, so this isn't that unusual, but I did technically mean to update yesterday, so apologies about that.**

 **Ok now the meat of this note, just to clarify anything that came off confusing in this chapter:**

 **Gorgon sister vs bear is a super easy fight. That's on purpose. The Boa sisters have devil fruit powers that have never ever been seen before on Amazon Lily, and so a normal bear (not even one that has haki, might I add) is really no match for Hancock and the others. These girls are warriors. They have been trained to be part of the Kuja pirates so they aren't going into the fight unprepared or untrained. Additionally, this fight is very different from the time they were attacked on Saboady. On Saboady, they were half starved, exhausted, dehydrated, and had just escaped Mariejois. They had been eating out of trash and were not in good condition at all. They physically didn't have the energy to properly fight off a handful of pirates. To be honest Aconite and the others were really really luck on Saboady.**

 **Secondly, in case no one understood what happened in that last scene. Basically, Iris (Blue grandmother) is the head priestess on Amazon Lily. She stumbled across the fact that Blue's real name is Aconite (remember Astors warning?). For those of you who don't know, aconite, also known as wolfsbane, monkshood,** _ **blue**_ **rocket, and queen of the poisons, is a highly poisonous species of flower. The poison is so strong that it was used to hunt and paralyze whales. Essentially Amazon Lily is a rather superstitious place, so naming a child after such a dangerous flower is akin to cursing the child. As a result, Iris disowned Aconite.**

 **I also just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who's followed, favorited, and reviewed. I really really appreciate it. I respond to all of your reviews though PM. If you're a guest, ill stark responding at the bottom of chapters. Thank you guys again. You're the best! I do really appreciate any thoughts or criticisms. Any sort of input allows me to hugely improve my writing.**

 **One last thing! I've uploaded a photo of Aconite to my DeviantArt, so go check that out if you want a ballpark of what she looks like.**

 **That's all for now.**

 **Over and Out,**

 **Plouton**

Sticks and Stones

"Yes, of course," I hear from the muffled voice through the Headmistress' door. Hancock had dropped me off at the Trainee Academy nearly 4 hours ago before leaving for her own training with her new sensei, and my butt had started to hurt from sitting on the wooden bench for so long. It really isn't my fault that my boredom drove me to eavesdrop. "Well, she passed the entrance exam with flying colors. The Boa sisters obviously started her training early, and the Empress has taken a liking to her, so we can't refuse her."

The second voice is too quiet for me to hear.

"I know that. I just worry that she will be a danger to the other trainees. She is a poison after all." There's that word again. Poison. It's quickly becoming my least favorite word. It's not like I'm homicidal or anything.

"I understand. I'll handle this personally." I roll my eyes at the dramatic declaration.

The door slid open and I jump in surprise, scrabbling back into my seat and whistle innocently. The woman standing in front of me clearly doesn't buy my act, if her glare is any indicator. She is tall and imposing, with well defined muscles, blonde hair, and stern grey eyes. She doesn't seem the type to fall for a weak act.

"Taipan D. Aconite." Her voice is flat. I blink up at her. "I will be your teacher during your time at the Academy. You may refer to me as Dandelion-sensei." She waits for me to nod before continuing. "Now, considering your… unusual circumstance, shall we say, we have a few additional rules you must follow. Your Gorgon abilities must never be used against a fellow student. Your doing so will result in an immediate expulsion from the program. Understood?" I nod again. "Good. Secondly, considering you are the youngest _student,"_ she spat the word, obviously disagreeing with my placement as an academy trainee,"In the the academy, you will be required to maintain an above passing grade throughout the year. If you fall below our expectations for you, you will be removed from the program until you reach the appropriate age. All other rules can be found in the handbook, which I expect you to read and memorize. That is all." Then she turns on her heel and strides away, leaving me behind on the bench.

I stare after her in confusion. She walks halfway down the hallway before stopping suddenly. "Well? Hurry up!" She barks and I jump into motion, jogging to catch up to her retreating back. I follow her through the halls and try to create a mental map of the building. I give up 3 corridors later. A few minutes later we stop in front of the door of what I assume to be my classroom. Dandelion-sensei turns to me again. "You have been admitted to the advance class based on your entrance exam, a fluke I'm sure. Try not to make a fool of yourself." Without giving me a chance to respond, she slides the door open and enters.

I survey the classroom. It is organized auditorium style, with long wooden desks on each of the 4 levels. One wall is covered with bookshelves, the other is lined with windows, of which only 2 are open. 34 pairs of eyes follow me as a walk to stand next to the teacher, waiting to be to be introduced.

"Good morning class!" Dandelion's tone is completely different. "Today a new student will be joining us." Surprised muttering fills the room. "I know, I know. It's a bit late isn't it? We are already 3 weeks in after all." She laughed with the class and places a firm hand on my shoulder. "Go on, introduce yourself."

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Blue." I introduce myself. I force my voice to remain level, and hope no one heard the quiver in my voice. It's rather daunting to be confronted with so many people after my mostly solitary life with the Tenryuubito. Dandelion-sensei's hand tightens into a vice.

"We don't use nicknames in the classroom." She states, still smiling, but there is dark undertone. A confused look flashes across my face. Why would she want me to use my name? Then everyone would know of my 'curse'. The hand tightens further and I almost gasp in pain. "Come on now, everyone is waiting."

Finally, I relent. "Taipan D. Aconite." My words are barely above a whisper, but the whole room hears.

"Isn't that the outsider?" A girl whispers to her friend.

"Look at it. How come the empress allowed that thing to stay?" Another shouts at the teacher.

"Yeah! We don't want her here!"

"I heard that she's cursed by a gorgon," someone accuses, and there's a shriek in response.

"But so are the Boa sisters," her friend retorts.

"Yea, so? They're strong and Hancock is so pretty!"

"Wait what did she say her name was again? What kind of flower is an Agonit? Is that an outsider name?"

"Agonit? I thought she said Aconite?"

"Aconite? Like Monkshood, Aconite? Like the poison?!"

"What?! A poison?"

The teacher finally steps in. "Now, now girls. I'm sure _Aconite,"_ she emphasized my name, "here, won't last for very long, so you have nothing to worry about. Aconite. There's a seat in the back row. Sit down, don't ask questions, and be quiet."

I walk quickly to my seat, glaring at the girls I passed, ignoring the tell tale sting of tears threatening to fall. I had forgotten how cruel kids could be. I sit in the back corner next to the window and no one sits near me. Students adjust to leave a ring of seats empty. This is going to be a long year.

"When setting up this trap it is important to do so quickly, to limit the scent exposure. If your scent is strong you are likely to scare off potential prey…" Dandelion-sensei lectures us on the uses of various traps. I listen closely, struggling to internalize all the information. Fortunately, we didn't have written tests in a majority of the requirements. That was a blessing, because despite my ability to write in English, (which was considered weird, despite the prevalence of the written language), all writing in class had to be completed in Hiragana or Katakana, neither of which I knew.

"Psst. Psst, Aconite." A voice disrupts my concentration. This would be the first time anyone's even tried to talk to me other than the teacher since I joined the Academy a over a week ago. My eyes flicker across the girls around me, trying to pinpoint the voice. A piece of paper is flick onto my desk when my head is turned.

Curiously I reach for it and unfold it slowly. I'm interrupted. "Passing notes in class, Aconite?"

The girl calling my name snickers, realizing she's succeeded in getting me in trouble. My head snaps up to look at Dandelion-sensei. I feel like a deer caught in the headlights. "Stand up." She beckons. "Come here." Stiffly I stand and walk down the stairs to the front of the room, the paper crinkles in my clenching hand.

Dandelion-sensei glares down at me. "We have a very strict policy about note-passing in class. As punishment you will read the note to the class." She knows I didn't pass the note. I have no one to pass notes to.

It's ok though, because she won't be able to deny that I didn't write it when I read the hurtful words directed at me. I look at the unfolded paper and feel my stomach drop. The message isn't written in English. "Uh. Um."

"Well?" A cruel smirk tugs at Dandelion-sensei's lips. "Hurry it up, urchin."

I stare at her in horror; my gold eyes widen and pupils dilate as adrenaline floods my system. I flush in embarrassment and glance at the paper again. "I can't."

"Excuse me!?" Comes the incredulous response. "You don't have a choice. You will read that note. Now." She orders, and I flush darker.

"I can't read…" I squeak, mortified. The class bursts into laughter.

"She can't even read?"

"What a joke!"

"Idiot!"

"Can't read, can't fight, how'd she even make it into this class?"

I feel tears well up in my eyes, but blink them away harshly. A glare slides onto my face instinctively and walk quickly back to my seat. I only trip over one leg.

Following this humiliating event, there was a steep increase in written assignments and tests.

I land hard on my back for the 7th time in 5 minutes, having been thrown by my sparring opponent. I lie on the ground for a moment, trying to shake the stars from my vision before clambering tiredly to my feet.

"That was pathetic, Aconite. Are you even trying?" Dandelion – I had long since foregone the honorific – insults. "20 laps around the campus after school. Hopefully this will teach you not to slack in class."

"Yes…" I mumble, massaging the bruised flesh on my back. Running laps was the last thing I felt like doing, though it had become almost routine considering how often I was punished with it.

"How dare you be so disrespectful. It's Yes, _sensei_." She corrects. "Why don't you add a full ab circuit to your laps?" My glare sharpens dangerously.

"Hey, Aconite! Maybe next time you should try to actually land a punch!" A girl shout from the other side of the training yard, laughing loudly with her posse. I wonder if she paid them to follow her around and laugh at her jokes. She must have, because she's really not that funny.

I size up my opponent again. She's small for her age, but still towers over me. Her center of gravity is held too high, so unbalancing her shouldn't be so difficult. The problem is that she is significantly heavier than I am, and I am not nearly strong or fast enough to even land a tackle. It's not that I couldn't beat my sparring partner, it's that I couldn't beat my sparring partner without using my devil fruit power. Though I would've thought I could land a fucking punch after nearly a month of nonstop training with Sonia.

I guess not.

-x-

I collapse on the couch and press my face into the soft pillow, hoping to catch a couple minutes of shut eye.

"Oh no you don't." Marie picks me up and drops me in a chair at the dinner table. "You have reading work to do, and I'll be damned if you still can't write by the end of the year."

"But I don't wanna," I complain. "Sonia was really tough today, I just want to sleep."

"That's because you're still the bottom of the class!" Sonia justifies herself. "and training wasn't that much harder than usual.

"Exactly, now get reading. If you finish early, we'll get Hancock to help you train your powers, ok?" Marie bribes. I glare but pick up my book anyway.

"I don't even know why I need to learn this crap anyway," I grumble squinting at the words.

Marie has long since grown use to my aversion to this topic. "Look, Blue, religion is an important part of our culture." Marie sighed, and joined me at the table. "Even if you don't believe in it, it's important for us that you know," Marie explains for the millionth time and looks imploringly at me.

I cave and breathe a sigh of my own. "Fine. Not like I could pass the class without reading this anyway." I turn to the Nuwang shu, the Queen Book. It's essentially the Kuja's version of the Quran or the Bible. It contains all of the religious scripture of Amazon Lily. The stories are pretty interesting, but scientifically none of them make any sense.

My eyes crawl across the characters on the paper, slowly extracting the meaning of the story. I could tell that it is a creation story; something about a giant snake egg containing the planet, but I must have missed something in translation, because apparently said snake egg consumed the essence of the providence in order to produce the planet. I don't even know what essence of the providence means. I point the character out to Marie who corrects me.

"Heavens. Essence of the heavens."

"Oh. Well. That's dumb."

Marie frowned, and I knew that I had finally pushed her patience too far. "Fine. If you don't want to believe in Hebi, then what do you believe?!"

"I believe in –" I halt, "Uhh..." I used to be an atheist, but obviously I got something wrong considering I was reincarnated into Taipan D. Aconite. I close my mouth and my brows furrow in concentration. I don't know anymore. Nothing. I don't believe in anything. There is no God, otherwise people wouldn't suffer. But there is reincarnation. Or is it just me? "Nothing, I guess."

"That's ridiculous. Everyone believes in something. You just have to find what you believe in."

"Heh. That's pretty philosophical for you." I resort to sarcasm, hoping that my joke will change the topic.

Mari blushed. "Oh shut it! Go study, you have a test on this tomorrow, don't think I didn't read your syllabus!" Mari stood and ruffles my hair, pushes my head playfully, trying to hide her smile.

"Yeah, yeah!" I wave her off.

I stomp down the stone road angrily, kicking a stone. Usually I would stick to the back paths and avoid people at all costs, but it's late and I didn't feel like trying to traverse the alleyways in the dark.

"Poison bitch. Go back to where you came from!" Someone shouts. My glare shuts them up. There is nothing like a murderous glare on the face of a possible homicidal child, apparently. Unfortunately, that one shout had drawn attention to me.

"Fuck off and die!"

"Hey, babe, I'll drop her corpse in a ditch if you buy me a drink!" A woman calls from the other side of the street. I glare harder.

A few kids run past giggling madly. I ignore them, at least until one tosses an over ripe tomato at me. The mushy fruit leaves my bare shoulder slimy. Another is tossed and I flinch as it hits the back of my head. I can't retaliate; Hancock and the others would be disappointed in me. Instead, I grit my teeth and keep walking, letting the fruit drip harmlessly of of the defensive barrier my devil fruit provides. At least until one of the older kids hurls a haki covered rock that smashes through my limbs and collides with my back.

I bite my lip to hold back my whimper. A second rock follows, whizzing past my ear. I don't wait to see if she will throw another and take off into a run. I skid around the corner, into the ally, and sprint to the back wall. The other girls follow me, still chucking stones. There isn't a ladder to the roof on the wall but that doesn't stop me. My vectors dig into the limestone, and propel me up the side of the wall until I'm over the edge of the roof and far out of range.

Here, I collapse. My limbs sprawl across the red tiles and let myself relax. My eyes shift listlessly from one star to another, searching for constellations from a lifetime ago. My mother used to tell me stories about the stars, making up new ones every time. It brought me a sense of peace. But the stars aren't here.

I'm not expecting to find them, I am on a completely different planet after all, if the second moon is any hint, but it still disappoints me to see. The sight would have provided some comfort, some semblance of belonging. Instead I am an outcast, a pariah. I am not welcome here, and no matter how often Hancock promises the Kuja will accept me eventually, I know she's lying.

So I draw my own constellations and carve my own stories into the skies, and fall asleep under the stars. When I wake there is no one there to see my tear streaked face. The memory of my sea stone cuffs and the grind of my sadistic tormentors slip through my fingers, waiting for another chance to drag me down. Waiting to drag me back to Mariejois. At least I was wanted there.

The air rushes from my lungs and my back aches as I hit the hard ground of the training field. Despite my discomfort, I roll, twist my body, and push myself to my feet. I gain my balance just in time to deflect a punishing blow from my opponent. My forearm stings. My attacker pushes her advantage, raining a series of punches against my feeble defense. I manage to dodge the first two and deflect a third before being caught in the solar plexus and stumbling. The momentary distraction is all my opponent needs to land another blow against my cheek. She sends me spinning to the dirt again before pinning me. One knee digs painfully into my kidney and a hand wrenches one arm up against my back, threatening to dislocate my shoulder. The other hand holds my face against the dirt, preventing me from turning my head to take a breath.

I struggle, thrashing against my attacker but only succeeding in kicking up dust, which stings my eyes. My diaphragm spasms in panic and I gasp. Dirt coats my tongue instead. My cheek throbs and I can feel the purple bruise blossom.

Then, suddenly, the weight is gone and I can breathe again. I flail slightly and scramble to my feet, my hand jumps to my shoulder, trying to massage away the pain. I glare at the girl standing across from me. She smirks and smooths a hand over her hair even though she doesn't have a single strand out of place.

"Very well done Chrys." The instructor praises my opponent.

"Really? I feel like my last combo was poorly executed. My second punch should have been enough to break through her weak defense, I think I need to run it again?" She flicks her long black ponytail over her shoulder and honey drips from every syllable.

"Of course, of course. If you think it's necessary, darling." The instructor beams at the child. "Aconite!" Her tone shifts and she spits my name as if it were poison in her mouth, "Continue assisting Chrys." She orders, glaring at me. I try to suppress my flinch.

"Oh no! I couldn't possibly request such a thing of Aconite! Poor girl needs a break and maybe some ice for that horrible bruise?" Chrys simpers. I poke at the tender flesh and nod absently. Ice would be nice. I don't want my eye to swell shut if I can avoid it.

"That's unnecessary. Aconite's performance was pathetic, Hebi knows not even practice with benefit her. At the very least she can help propel my best student to greater heights," she flatters Chrys. "Off to it!" She dismisses herself before shouting at me over her shoulder, "Remember, if I see even the slightest use of your gorgon curse against a classmate, I will have you removed from the academy!"

"Piss off, Dandelion-sensei." I practically growl at the woman. She doesn't pretend to like me and therefore I don't pretend to like her. Though her constant insults were wearing me down more than I'd like to admit.

"50 laps after class," Dandelion assigns as punishment in retaliation.

"Don't be so rude Aconite," My opponent chastises, drawing my attention. "Must you constantly antagonize Sensei?"

I snort. "I'm surprised you know what "antagonize" even means. Isn't it a bit too big a word for a simpleton like you?" I retort, glaring levelly at the girl.

Chrysanthemum, or Chrys as most call her, is 106 centimeters of bright blue eyes, baby cheeks, and a haki powered bitch. She's also the daughter of the Academy head, so the teachers then to show her blatant favoritism in attempts to get in the good graces of the headmistress. The kind of girl who could commit murder in front of an audience and get away with it, who also happens to be my cousin.

She laughs lightly at my insult. "Big words... I'll make you eat them." And then she's on top of me.

It's nothing like earlier when Dandelion was supervising. Her haki greyed fists destroy my defense in seconds, and I double over as she sinks a fist into my gut. A second and third follows, knocking the air from my lungs. I drop to my knees and launch myself at her legs, attempting to bring her to the ground where I would have the advantage. While her martial arts forms were excellent, her wrestling was not. It would be too difficult for her to get _enough_ leverage behind a punch while on the ground.

She dodges, jumping over me and landing harshly on my leg. I twist to see her again but I'm met with her sandaled foot instead. I feel my jaw dislocate and my eyes snap shut in pain. I wrench it back into place, knowing that the medic assigned to assist with training injuries would refuse to treat me.

Chrys gives me a moment to scramble unsteadily to my feet. I watch her hands warily. The grey coloration of her skin is significantly darker than it was a month ago, alluding towards her potential. I shiver and can't help but feel slightly awed by her raw and natural talent with haki, further accentuated by her discipline and training.

I raise my arms and deflect a roundhouse kick, trying to throw my opponent off balance. Chrys, however, pivots with the push and launches into a second kick. Her heel collides with my forearm and I give with the attack.

Chrys is what the Kuja call 'Hakiborn'. Hakiborns are considered women favored by Hebi, the patron goddess of Amazon Lily, and are born with an extremely high affinity in haki. Chrys's specialty is Bososhuko haki, and without haki of my own, I have no defense against her attacks.

I lean backwards, and spin, barely slipping past her third kick. Her haki coated fist catches me though, and I stumble. Her next punch connects with my stomach and it spasms. Chrys steps back just in time to avoid soiling her combat skirt with my vomit. Then my head jerks back and white hot pain flashes through me when she rams her knee into my face. I taste blood and the world spins. The follow up elbow connects with my temple and sends me into the dirt.

My ears ring and through the thick haze that fills my mind, I can hear Chrys's sugary voice. "Pathetic. Honestly." Her fingers tangle in my knotted hair and she yanks my bloodied face up.

"More like a weed than a queen of poison. What a joke." I only groan; my jaw is too swollen to speak properly. She lets me drop back to the dirt and my consciousness fades.

 **Authors Note:**

 **Tada, I know, what is this? Another chapter?! Gasp!**

 **Yeah, I'm surprised too, but thanks to the constant inspiration from** **Kurobook** **and** **KlonoaDreams** **, I have finally written more. To show your appreciation you should definitly check out their stories.** **Kurobook** **has** **Barrel of Fun** **and** **KlonoaDreams** **has a bunch of awesome SI-OC stories, but her One Piece one is** **Gone Fishing.** **Both are linked here:**

 **s/11765003/1/Barrel-of-Fun**

 **s/11278748/1/Gone-Fishing**

 **(if you change the** _ **www.**_ **on this page to an** _ **m.**_ **you can directly copy and paste these links). They are both amazing people and you should definitely check out their stuff!**

 **I dont thin there is anything I need to clarify in this chapter, but as always, if you have questions or are confused abut anything, let me know through your comments and everyone who has reviewed, followed, and/or favorited, thank you so much! You guys are my motivation and I love you all!**

 **Guest reviewer responses:**

 **Chloe - Thank you much! I was a little hesitant to make this story so dark when I started, but I've actually really liked how its turned out. This chapter is pretty tame, but it's going to get pretty bad pretty quickly. Be prepared!**

 **See you next chapter!**

 **Over and Out,**

 **Plouton**

Nightmares

I stared at the young man in front of me in horror. He was filthy and emaciated. His skin was pulled taunt, stretched over every bone and sliding dangerously over sharp edges of his ribs.

The thin flesh looked like it might snag and tear against the fragile bone in any second. His stomach was bloated from starvation and his head looked too large for his body. He was too weak to stand, and instead slumped helplessly against the blood stained floor of the gladiator ring. The smell was nauseating, putrid. It smelled almost sweet, like rotting eggs combined with mold and decomposing apples, 10 times stronger than the decaying flesh of road kill that I remember from my cozy life in the countryside. It was rancid.

I gagged, barely suppressing my need to vomit, and breathed through my mouth, though I can still smell – taste – the rotting flesh, eaten away by infection and writhing, wiggling maggots.

His glassy eye swiveled in my direction, and I realized with a start: _he's blind ._ The other eye was missing and the eyelid gave way to a dark empty socket, which oozed a thick puss that dripped gooey stripes down his hallowed cheeks.

"Kill him." My Tenryuubito master, a girl barely older than myself, ordered. She was protected from the stink and gore by her robes and oxygen bubble, and the chilling sight of the broken man didn't seem to phase her. The man blinked and his mouth fell open to release a long, low groan.

"W-what?" My voice quivered.

"I said, ' _kill him_ '." The girl repeated firmly. "Daddy, why isn't it's listening to me. I'm it's master, it's supposed to do what I say." She complained to her father who stood next to her.

"She hasn't been trained properly, nor has she been desensitized. You must be harsher." Saint Roswald explained, as talking about a dog that hasn't been house broken yet. "Watch." I heard him step closer to me.

"Aconite." My name snapped me to attention, and I stand stiffly. "The animal you see before you was once a carpenter named Jans. He was a strong, handsome young man, engaged to my 47th wife. I purchased him to carry around my dear son, St. Charloss."

"Why are you telling me this?" I whispered, my eyes never straying from the dying man.

BANG.

Roswald buried a bullet in Jans's foot, and he screamed. I flinch, but the threatening crack of Shalulia's whip prevented me from covering my ears. Spittle flew from Jans's mouth as he thrashed against the ground, mixing his own blood with the already stained dirt, and his single eye rolled and twisted in the socket. I though it might roll right out of his skull. His scream echo off the concrete walls and I shudder, horrified.

"Because my dear, unless you kill it, I will continue to shoot. Chop chop, you don't want it to suffer do you?" Before I had a chance to respond, Rosewald pulled the trigger again.

"NO!" My outburst earned me a lash from St. Shalulia and I stumbled forwards, brushing off the sting. Didn't it use to hurt more?

"Excuse me?" Roswald looked at me down the length of his nose. His golden gun gleamed menacingly. Rosewald opened his mouth to continue shouting but a voice cut him off.

"Kill me." The words were drawn out and the voice was hoarse. "Please. Kill me." Jans said again. "Just kill me." The stench of rotting flesh and excrement washed over me like a wave. I heaved, no longer able to suppress my gag reflex. Jans sobbed again. "Kill me! Just kill me you bitch." And his voice seemed to gain strength until he was shouting. "I want to die!"

I tried to step back but a bony hand wrapped around my ankle and long nails carved into my skin.

"KILL ME!" His single blinded eye bore into my own eyes and spittle frothed at his mouth. "JUST KILL M—uggh." He gurgled pitifully before falling silent. My Beku Beku limbs had carved through his neck and arm, messily decapitating him.

Blood spewed from the cut and pooled across the floor and over my feet. I took a shuddering step back, causing the bloody floor to squelch between my toes. Jans arm came with my foot. The fingers were still buried in my ankle, despite the arm being removed from the body. I tripped and collapsed on my back, splashing blood everywhere. It was warm. I vomited again.

A gloved hand pressed against my blood soaked hair. "Good girl." The monster purred in my ear. "You've become so proficient with your vectors, haven't you. What a bright girl." St. Rosewald helped my to my feet and offered me a towel to wipe the drying blood off my face.

"Such a good girl." Then, he nodded at his own personal guardian, who had been standing vigilantly against the arena gate. "Let in the next piece of trash."

The slave bowed and opened the gate. He pulled a young woman through and pushed her into the dirt in front of me, forcing her to kneel in the bile and blood next to Jans cooling corpse.

St. Rosewald smirked at me. "Now, Aconite. Kill her."

…

…

…

I stood numbly in the middle of the arena and stared unseeingly at the gate. Dried blood flecked my skin and clotted under my finger nail. Bleeding and broken bodies lined the floor so thickly that the only visible dirt was where I was standing. My vectors waved dangerously through the air above me, made clearly visible by the red liquid dripping off the lethal limbs.

Somewhere behind me, my masters clapped.

-8-

Taipan D. Aconite jolts upright in bed, her heart beating out of her chest and tears streaming down her face. Her hands muffle her scream and no noise accompanies her tears. The liquid drips down her face, and for a second I she flinches and swallows bile, thinking it's blood. She can't catch her breath and all she can do is curl inward, clutching her knees tightly to her chest.

The bones in Aconite's knees are hard and hurt when they bump against her forehead. Her chest hurts and the overwhelming feeling of grief threatens to drown her whole. _This isn't how things should be_. She should be at home with her family, arguing with her brother and sister. She should be bent over her anatomy text book in the university library at 3 am, cramming for her exam. She should be teasing and joking with her friends on movie night. She should be normal.

 _I should have died and stayed dead._

What's that saying? You either die a hero or live log enough to see yourself become a monster? Something like that… And yet here Aconite is. 5 years old and already a murderer. 5 years old and hated by everyone. What a joke. What a fucking _joke_.

Aconite grits her teeth, not relaxing the muscles until long after her jaw begins to ache. There's no more sleeping for her tonight, she'll stay like this – huddled over and clinging to herself, grounding herself in this nightmarish reality. It's all she can do when she can still _smell_ the putrefied flesh and blood of the innocent people she slaughtered like cattle.

No… she won't sleep. And yet she finds she gives in for a moment and lays back, hoping – _wishing_ – that maybe she'll wake up and all of this will be a dream. She'll be home, wrapped warmly in her blankets, waking from a horrible nightmare. But she won't.

 **A/N**

 **I'm so sorry. This is horrible, but I wanted to show you a little bit of what Blues time with the Tenryuubito was like.**

 **I also really wanted to post an update considering I reached 100 followers! OMG I never expected, and only on my 4th chapter to boot! You people are all incredible and thank you so much for reading! Every single one of you keep me going. Your reviews, favorites, follows. They make me so happy! So thank you!**

 **I wanted to say thanks with a new chapter, but instead I wrote this crap. Its short and miserable and so I'm sorry that its not a happier chapter, maybe next time I'll have some Blue Boa sister fluff. Let me know what I can do to make it up to you.**

 **On another note, SOMEONE MADE ME FAN ART! The lovely, kind, intelligent, wonderful Lyrical Jelly drew Aconite! I posted it on my tumblr so go check it out! image/143357617960 (sorry, I know how bad is with links, but if you go to my tumblr you should be able to find it pretty easily.)**

 **G/R**

 **Guest 1: Thank you so much! I'm having a lot of fun building Aconite as a character. She's very complex, so I'm trying to show how a whole bunch of her personality aspects develop. Aconite would be very happy to know you think she's going to grow up into a badass. thats what she's aiming for (whether or not she makes it is entirely up to you).**

 **Guest 2: Yeah, she's in a bit of a rough spot, and unfortunately life isn't looking too good for her for a while, its definitely a character building excursive, though I'm not sure she sees it that way. Before she died she was a white, upper-middle class, girl so she's never experienced anything like what she's dealign with now (and when she was with the Tenryuubito). Its a very traumatic life so far. She'll make it one day though! She just has to keep pushing!**

 **Anyways. I think thats all for now. As always, let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews, they really make my day!**

 **Over and Out,**

 **Plouton**


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